Operation Smile sends first World Care patient from Assam to US

Nur Ali, an eight-year-old boy, who has been suffering from severe craniofacial cleft, has been sent to Norfolk, US, by Operation Smile India. The boy becomes the first World Care patient from Assam to get special treatment and care for his complex facial deformities.

Nur Ali, an eight-year-old boy, who has been suffering from severe craniofacial cleft, has been sent to Norfolk, US, by Operation Smile India. The boy becomes the first World Care patient from Assam to get special treatment and care for his complex facial deformities.

Operation Smile India, which in association of Assam Health dept had successfully completed surgical operations of nearly 2000 cleft and palate patients at five international missions in the last one year in the state.

Due to the complexity of the deformity the medical team the medical team was of the opinion that young Nur could not be helped at the mission. Medical experts said Nur will require multiple surgical interventions over a prolonged period of time at a specialized medical set up, said Sarma.

Nur, son of a shoe vendor from South Salmarain Dhubri district was suffering from severe craniofacial cleft. He was seen by the mission medical team, which also included Operation Smile founder Dr. Bill Magee. The eight-year-old boy would undergo corrective surgeries over the next 10 to 12 months.

Operation Smile runs a specific program call ' World Care' for poor children around the world where they cannot be provided the specialized treatment and care for complex craniofacial deformities. All expenses of the patient and his family for their travel, stay and all medical expenses and are provided for by Operation Smile and its partners resulting in no cost to the patient and his family.

Assam has achieved good record in treating cleft and palate children patients with support from Operation Smile. Assam government has decided to set up and operate a full-fledged dedicated six-table facility to provide comprehensive cleft and childcare at the MMC hospital in Guwahati.

Chairman of Operation Smile India, Ranjit Borthakur said that the organization on their part would get in a team of international doctors from key disciplines to help set up the surgery protocols, train the local medical personnel and supervise the smooth conduct of the surgeries during the initial years.

"The idea is to train as many medical professionals as possible over the period to ensure that the surgeries are conducted round the year", said Borthakur.

The mission's target is to provide corrective surgeries to 500 patients of the state suffering from cleft deformities in the next international mission to be held in November next.

This would mean 2530 patients being addressed in Assam in around 18 months, which has never happened anywhere in the world in this short period of time through the Mission mode. The model being implemented in Assam would be the model which Operation Smile India would follow forward in the country", added the chairman of Operation Smile India.